Teacher 
We have an energetic, caring and creative teacher, Renee Hult, who is committed to your child’s development in their physical, cognitive, language, and social skills. She believes every child is developmentally different and deserves the opportunity to develop these skills at his or her own rate. Renee joined Glacier Way in 2008. She is the co-creator of All About Science, a traveling preschool science program, which is used as an after-school enrichment program at Glacier Way.

Renee’s approach is play-based and child-centered. She believes the teacher’s role is that of facilitator and enabler. The teacher sets up the environment to facilitate development of skills to allow for independence. She encourages children to “learn by doing” and provides a variety of “hands-on” experiences designed to meet the needs of children at different developmental stages. Preschoolers in her classroom are able to learn in their own way, in their own time.

Renee earned her B.S. degree from Eastern Michigan University and earned her preschool teacher qualifications from Schoolcraft College. Renee maintains at least 12 hours of teacher training per year to maintain a State of Michigan License and is a proud member of NAEYC since 2004.

Expectations of a co-op family
Cooperative preschools are able to keep the cost of tuition lower because of the high level of parent involvement. Members of Glacier Way West Side Cooperative Preschool are expected to:

Assist the teacher in class: Each family is required to assist an average of 6 times a semester in the 3s program, 9 times a semester in the 4s program, and 6 times a semester in the Young 5s program. There may be a need for more assist days if enrollment is down. To maintain the integrity of our program, no siblings are allowed in the classroom while parents are assisting. A sibling nursery is available for parents to use on their assist days. Participating parents take turns assisting in the sibling nursery in addition to their regular assist days.

Choose an additional job: The job requires time spent outside of school hours. Examples of jobs are board member, teacher assistant, librarian or newsletter editor. (See sidebar for complete list.)

Bring a snack for the class: Each family brings snack approximately twice a semester in the 3s program, 3 times a semester in the 4s program, and 4 times a semester in the Young 5s program.

Participate in fund-raising: Each family is required to fund-raise $75 per semester. Additionally, members are required to contribute an item worth at least $25 for the fall auction. Any remaining balance must be paid at the end of the semester. Successful fund-raising allows us to keep our tuition low.

Participate in housekeeping: One Saturday each month, a crew of parents “deep cleans” the school.  Each family is assigned one date per semester.

Attend general membership meetings: At the beginning of each semester there is a mandatory general membership meeting for all enrolled families of Glacier Way West Side Cooperative Preschool. At least one parent must be present. Childcare is not provided at this meeting, and we ask that children not be present. (Non-mobile babies are okay.) At this time, the balance of the semester’s tuition is due, members receive the assist schedule, fund-raising projects for the upcoming year are explained, emergency procedures are reviewed and any questions are addressed.

Social Events: We have at least three social events throughout the year that give the families a chance to get to know each other better: A fall potluck, a winter holiday party and an end-of-the-year picnic. We also have a monthly “mom’s night.”